Unitary dental apparatus



1941. o. H. PIEPER UNITARY DENTAL APPARATUS Filed Aug. 4, 19

INVENTOR.

I fi'carff Pie ATTO

Patented Oct. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE UNITARYDENTALAPPARATUS Oscar H. .Pieper, Rochester, N. Application August l, 1939,Serial No. 288,416

9 Claims.

My invention relates to dentalapparatus, and

more particularly to a dental'sta'nd orunit adapted to support variousinstruments or appliances adjacent the dental chair and Within easyreach of the dentist. 1.

The present invention is an improvement on the dental apparatus shown inmy copending application Serial No. 192,125, filed February 23, 1938,entitled Unitary dental apparatus.

An object ofmyinvention is to provide a compact-and simplified dentalstand or unit adapted to house or supportvarious dental instruments and.which may be produced at a reasonable cost.

Another object of my invention is to provide, in combination with meansfor housing various nism for automatically moving the carrierfinto "a"position to render the instruments accessible foruse when the dentist sodesires. Preferably the instruments are mounted in a carrierorinstrumerit holder, generally indicated by the numeral l3. l

dental instruments and protecting them from dust and dirt, improvedmeans for rendering the instruments readily and conveniently accessiblewhen the dentist desires to'use them.

My invention further oontemplates an improved and. simplified means, ofthe type described in the above mentioned copending application adaptedto project the instruments into a convenient-position, when desired, tomake them readily accessible to thedentist.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be moreparticularlyset Torth in the claims and will appear from the followingdescription, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a portion of a dental standor unit showing in solid lines the position of the dental instrumentswhen housed within the unit, and in dotted lines the position of theinstruments when rendered conveniently accessible for use by thedentist; and 1 Fig. 2 is a plan view of the inside of the door orclosure showing the instrument carrier mounted thereon.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention disclosed herein, thedental'unit includes and the support or enclosure for the instrumentscomprises a hollow supporting column or standard vl I which has asuitable base (not .shown). The general construction of the unit is moreclearly shown in-the above mentioned. copending application. Thestandard or column constitutes a part of the dental unit and maysupport, in addition to the instruments, a fountain cuspidor bowl, adrinking fountain, and other appurtenances and conveniences forthedentist andhis patients.

The'supportingcolumn H is, for the most part, hollow to provide a recess'or compartment l2 for housing and protecting various instruments ordental appliances which are assembled in juxtaposition in thecompartment. The instruments are normally maintained within thecompartment and are supported by a suitable carrier or instrument'holderwhich isprovided with mecha- While I'have shown onlyaj single instrumentmounted in the carrier, it willbe appreciated that a number ofinstruments may be mountedin the same carrier. The instrument I4, shownin the drawing, is a water syringe. In'addition to this other dentalhand instruments, such, for example, as a cautery, a pulp testen'and asmall'electri'c' lamp maybe mounted in'and supported'by the carrier.

The supporting column. II isprovided with an opening I6 adapted to beclosed by a door or closure 11. Preferably the closure ishingeda'boutits lower edge soas to swing from the closed solid line position to theopen dotted line position shownin Fig. l. 'Hinging of theclosure maybeaccomplished by providing the supporting column and the .closure withsuitable bosses and pivot pins, as indicated at 18, the arrangeme'ntbeing such as: to limit the. opening of the closure preferably to theinclined position shown in dotted lines. The closure may be furtherprovided with a handipiece'IQ :adjacent itsupper portion by Whichtheclosure may be conveniently swung to open or closed position. Preferablythe closure isfsomewhat hollow'or dish shaped and provided with raisedmargins, as shown at 2 I, for a purpose which will later 'appear.A'plate "22 held in' position on the closure by screws =23"(Fig.a2)extends. substantially flush with the margins of the closure for'thepurpose of enclosing and hiding a portion'of the operating mechanism forthe carrier. The plate 22, as shown in Fig. 2, is'provided with a pairof elongated slots 24 and mounted on the inner Wall oftheplate'22by'means of suitable brackets 26 are a pair of rods or guidemembers 21. The guide rods 21 are mounted so that they register with theslots 24 and are adapted to receive members 28 which are rigidly securedto the carrier by screws, as shown at 29. The material of the members 28is bent or turned around the guide rodsandsecured in position so as'to'form sleeves to enable the'members 28, together with the carrier, toslide on the guide rods. It will thus be apparent that the carrier,together with the instruments, may be moved on the-closure from thesolid line position to the dotted line position shown in-Fig. 1.

For the-purpose of automatically presenting the instruments so'that theyare conveniently accessible to the dentist when the closure is opened, Ihave provided novel and simplified means for automatically projectingthe instruments forwardly on the closure simultaneously withand as aresult of the movement of the closure from the solid line to the dottedline position shown in Fig. 1.

Mounted on the inner wall of the closure preferably near its upper edgeis a pulley 3|. Secured to the lower edge of the closure by riveting orin any other suitable manner, as shown at 32, is an arm 33 whichpreferably extends inwardly and downwardly into the supporting column.The arm is preferably bent as shown and about midway of its length isprovided with a pulley 34. Secured preferably to the inner end of thearm 33 is another pulley 36. A flexible cord or line has one endoperatively connected to the carrier, preferably by securing it to themember 28 at any convenient point, as shown at 31, and the other endsecured to the inner wall of the supporting column, as shown at 38. Theintermediate portions of the flexible line pass over the pulley 3|downwardly through the hollow of the closure and outward into thesupporting column through a guide slot 39, formed in the plate 22 (seeFig. 2), and then beneath the pulley 34 and over the pulley 36.

It will now be apparent, when the closure is moved from the solid lineposition, shown in Fig. 1, to the dotted line position shown in thatfigure, that the arm 33 will swing up to the dotted line position shown.This movement of the arm 33 acts to draw in the flexible line so thatthe element 28, together with the carrier and the instruments, are movedforwardly on or toward the upper edge of the closure. Thus when theclosure is in its open position the ends of the instruments areprojected to and preferably beyond the edge 4| of the closure. In thisposition the instruments may be conveniently grasped by the dentist andwithdrawn from the carrier for use. When the dentist has finished usingthe instruments, the closure may be moved to the solid line closedposition shown in Fig. 1, and the instruments will be automaticallyretracted or drawn rearwardly on and toward the bottom of the closure sothat the closure may be r closed and the instruments housed in thesupporting column against access thereto by dust and dirt.

It will be apparent that the operating mechanism for the carrier ismounted partly within the :1':

hollow of the closure and partly in the supporting column. The operatingparts are thus substantially hidden from view and the closure opening isnot obstructed by any of the operating parts. If desired, the pulleysystem may be varied by locating two or more pulleys within the hollowof the closure. The arrangement shown produces rapid actuation and arelatively large movement bore provided in the carrier.

closure and make the actuation of the carrier more positive.

Each of the instruments, as is well known in the art to which thisinvention applies, has a cord 48 secured thereto which extends through aThe cords are preferably flexible and serve to enclose current carryingwires or flexible tubes for conveying hot water, cold water or air tothe instruments. Further, as is well known in the art to which thisinvention applies, each of the flexible cords 48 is provided withretracting means which may be of any suitable type as, for example, aspring tensioned reel or a pulley and counterweight system, as shown inthe above mentioned copending application.

It will now be apparent that when the closure is opened the instrumentsare automatically projected into a convenient position to be grasped andpulled by the dentist to a position, against the force of the retractingmeans, such that they may be conveniently used. As soon as the dentistis finished with a particular instrument the retracting means will drawthe instrument back into its carrier. As soon as the dentist is finishedusing all of his instruments he may move the closure to the solid lineposition shown in Fig. 1 and the carrier, together with the instruments,

is automatically retracted to the solid line position shown in Fig. 1.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, itwill be apparent that various modifications and changes may be madetherein, particularly in the form and relation of parts, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A dental unit wherein an opening in a hollow frame has a closurepivotally supported on said frame and wherein an instrument carriersupported on and movable with said closure has operating means forprojecting the carrier forwardly on the closure simultaneously with andas a result of the opening movement of the closure so that theinstruments are projected j substantially to or beyond the closuremargin in of the carrier which is desirable in order to avoid anypossibility of the instruments striking the margin of the closureopening. Moreover, as will be observed from the drawing, the arrangementof the pulleys is such as to produce little or no movement of thecarrier during the first portion of the movement of the closure,followed by an increasing velocity of movement of the carrier as theclosure approaches its fully open position.

If desired, although not necessary to my invention, there may beoperatively connected to the operating mechanism a counterweight systemfor the purpose of aiding the operator in opening and closing theclosure and for the purpose of making more positive the actuation of thecarrier. vided with 2. depending arm 42 to the end of For this purposethe arm 33 is proa position to be conveniently grasped, said operatingmeans including an arm rigidly connected to the closure, pulley meanscarried by said arm, pulley means carried by said closure, and aflexible line operatively connected to the carrier extending over bothof said pulley means and connected to the frame, and a counterweightconnected to the arm for aiding the opening mov ment of the closure.

2. A dental unit wherein an opening in a hollow frame has a closurepivotally supported on said frame and wherein an instrument carriersupported on and movable with said closure has operating means forprojecting the carrier for wardly on the closure simultaneously with andas a result of the opening movement of the closure so that theinstruments are projected substantially to or beyond the closure marginin a position to be conveniently grasped, said operating means includingan arm rigidly connected to the closure, pulley means carried by saidarm, pulley means carried by said closure,

and a flexible line operatively connected to the carrier extending overboth of said pulley means and connected to the frame, a second flexibleline connected to said arm, a pulley supported from the frame over whichsaid second flexible line connection extends, and a counterweightsecured to one end of said second flexible line.

3. A dental unit wherein an opening in a hollow frame has a closurepivotally supported on said frame and wherein an instrument carriersupported on and movable with said closure has operating means forprojecting the carrier forwardly on the closure simultaneously with andas a result of the opening movement of the closure so that theinstruments are projected substantially to or beyond the closure marginin a position to be conveniently grasped, said operating means includingan arm rigidly connected to the closure and extending downwardly there-'from when the closure is closed, a pair of pulleys mounted on said arm,a pulley carried by said closure, and a flexible line having one endconnected to the carrier extending over all three of said pulleys andconnected to the frame at a point well below the upper edge of theclosure when in closed position.

4. A dental unit wherein an opening in a hollow frame has a closuremovably supported on said frame andwherein an instrument carriersupported on and movable with said closure has grasped, said structurebeing characterized by the facts that the operating means includes atleast two pulleys one of which is mounted within the outline of theclosure, a member connected to and movable with the closure forsupporting the other of said pulleys inside the hollow frame, 4

and a flexible line having one end connected to said carrier, and itsother end connected to the inside of the hollow frame and extending oversaid pulleys.

5. A dental unit wherein an opening in a hollow frame has a closuremovably supported on said frame and wherein an instrument carriersupported on and movable with said closure has operating means forprojecting the carrier forwardly on the closure simultaneously with andas a result of the opening movement of the closure so that theinstruments are projected substantially to or beyond the forward marginof the closure margin in a position to be conveniently grasped, saidstructure being characterized by the facts that the operating meansincludes at least two pulleys one of which is carried by the closure, amember connected to and movable with the closure and extending insidethe hollow frame and by which the other pulley is carried, and aflexible line having one end connected to said carrier, and its otherend connected to the inside of the hollow frame and extending over saidpulleys.

6. A dental unit wherein an opening in a hollow frame has a closuremovably supported on said frame and wherein an instrument carriersupported on and movable with said closure has operating means forprojecting the carrier forwardly on the closure simultaneously with andas a result of the opening movement of the closure so that theinstruments are projected substantially to or beyond the closure marginin a position to be conveniently grasped, said structure beingcharacterized by the facts that the operating means includes at leasttwo pulleys one of which is carried by the closure, an arm rigidlyconnected to the closure adjacent the lower edge thereof and extendinginto the hollow frame and by which the other pulley is carried, and aflexible line having one end connected to said carrier, and its otherend connected to the inside of the hollow frame below the upper edge ofthe closure when the closure is in a closed position and extending oversaid pulleys.

7. A dental unit wherein an opening in a hollow frame has a closuremovably supported on said frame and wherein an instrument carriersupported on and movable with said closure has operating means forprojecting the carrier forwardly on the closure simultaneously with andas a result of the opening movement of the closure so that theinstruments are projected substantially to or beyond the forward marginof the closure in a position to be conveniently grasped, said structurebeing characterized by the facts that the closure has an arm securedthereto and movable therewith and extending into the hollow frame, aflexible line having one end connected to the carrier and its other endconnected to the inside of the hollow frame, and means mounted on saidarm and closure over which the line extends for utilizing the movementof said arm to produce said forward movement as the closure is opened.

8. A dental unit comprising a hollow frame having an opening in a wallthereof, a hollow closure for said opening, an instrument carriercarried by said closure and movable thereon, means for moving thecarrier forwardly on the closure simultaneously with and as a result ofthe opening movement of the closure, said means comprising a pulleylocated within the hollow of the closure and beneath the instrumentcarrier, pulley means within the hollow frame, and a flexible linehaving one end connected to the carrier, its other end connected to theframe on the inside thereof, and its intermediate portions extendingover said pulleyand said pulley means.

9. A dental unit wherein an opening in a hollow frame has a closuremovably supported on said frame and wherein an instrument carriersupported on and movable with said closure has operating means forprojecting the carrier forwardly on the closure simultaneously with andas a result of the opening movement of the closure so that theinstruments are projected substantially to or beyond the forward marginof the closure in a position to be conveniently grasped, said structurebeing characterized by the facts that the closure has an extensionprojecting into the hollow frame and the operating means includesflexible means one end of'which is connected to the carrier and theother end of which is connected to the frame on the inside thereof, andelements supported by said closure and said closure extension andmovable with the closure over which the intermediate portions of theflexible means pass for actuating the flexible means as the closure isopened to thereby-cause said projection of the carrier.

OSCAR H. PIEPER.

